Sakhir Grand Prix – French Report: “cOCONrico!
At the end of a Grand Prix full of twists and turns, Esteban Ocon achieves his first F1 podium with a fantastic 2nd place, aided by an offbeat strategy.

Esteban Ocon: 2nd
Offbeat strategy:
After a difficult qualifying, Renault and Ocon fully seized the opportunity to opt for an alternate strategy, starting from 11th place.
Outside the top 10 at the start, his car number 31 opts for a start on medium tires while all the cars (except the Mercedes) ahead of him start on soft tires.
A crucial departure:
Superb start for the Renault driver who is 8th at the moment the safety car is deployed, from the first lap, following the collision caused by Leclerc.
Due to the longevity of his tires, his position progresses to 4th place by lap 41 when he chooses to pit for hard tires.
His team provides him with a decent pit stop, allowing him to exit the pits alongside Stroll. After a battle over a few corners, the Canadian concedes, falling victim to the superb undercut executed by Renault and Ocon.
The native of Evreux is then in 9th place and will gradually climb up to 3rd position, while his opponents stop for the 2nd wave of pit stops.
The former Force India driver perfectly manages his one-stop strategy and sees his former teammate Sergio Perez appearing in his rearview mirrors, who, coming from the back of the field, fully intends to overtake the Renault.
Short-lived battle that relegates Esteban Ocon to 4th position.
The Gift from Mercedes:
The podium then becomes possible when, on the 63rd lap, following Aitken’s off-track excursion, both Mercedes suffer a complete pit stop failure, allowing Ricciardo’s teammate to claim 2nd place.
Despite the growing threat from Stroll towards the end of the race, Esteban Ocon held strong and secured a superb and well-deserved 2nd place after two stints of 42 and 45 laps respectively.
Upon exiting his single-seater, Ocon displayed strong emotion:
« I have no words, I cried crossing the line, it was so emotional. It has been a difficult season for me, it hasn’t always paid off. But we never stopped pushing, working hard, staying motivated, it’s very important. When there are fewer and fewer people who believe in you, that’s when you need to stay focused. »
In comparison with his teammate who has clinched two podiums this year, Esteban Ocon responds:
« My progress is solid and I am closing the gap ».
Once he arrived in the media area and after having enjoyed the podium, Esteban Ocon shared his impressions:
I have recovered from my emotions. I let everything go after crossing the line. Not everything worked out perfectly for Renault this year, but we managed the strategy and race incidents very well today. Thank you to everyone who supported me during this difficult year. I take away from this year the visible progress, we’ve proven that we can succeed.
Regarding the superb undercut executed on lap 43 against Stroll, the Renault driver states:
« I wasn’t really calm because the Racing Points had more speed than us but the team decided to do the undercut. We clashed a little but it was fine, it was with a friend. »